


Debt of a Gem

by Specks_of_Love



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Awkward OC, Fluff, Forging Friendships, Humor, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rude People, Tags Are Hard, Uneasy Friendships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-13
Updated: 2016-03-13
Packaged: 2018-05-26 13:33:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6241171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Specks_of_Love/pseuds/Specks_of_Love
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of stories detailing the strange friendship forged between Peridot and a human named Debbie. Peridot, owing a debt to the woman after she protected her gem while her physical form regenerated, vows to off the human the moment her debt is paid. But will time change the way these two think of one another? </p>
<p>(Drabbles, One-Shots, Slight Language, Now Plot Centric)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Salad Fingers

**Author's Note:**

> Also posted on FFN under Songbird's Spirit.

"Mornin' Salad Fingers." Debbie yawned as she passed the green alien on her way to the kitchen.

Peridot grunted in agitation and shot the ginger-haired human a withering glare.

"The only reason I haven't killed you is because you kept my gem safe while I was reforming." The alien snapped and stood up to follow after Debbie.

"Yeah. I know. You've reiterated that many times." The woman shrugged. "What's your point?"

"The point is: I can still kill you once my debt is paid." Peridot growled, "Once I repay you for keeping me alive I can kill you and claim your living quarters as my base!"

Debbie rolled her eyes and merely smirked before jamming her finger into the small dent in the gem's diamond-helm.

Peridot shrieked and flailed in an attempt to remove Debbie from the sensitive pressure point and wound up floundering on the floor while the human stood over her with a smug look on her face.

"For one, you talk big but have yet to back it up. For two," Debbie paused and Peridot watched suspiciously as the human's face softened and she offered a hand, "On earth we have this thing called 'co-existing'. In this case it would be two people living together and benefitting from the arrangement."

Peridot scoffed and got up on her own, "How could I benefit from you?" She snapped somewhat haughtily.

"You'll have someone to watch over you and somewhere to come crawling back to when you get your ass thrown around by the Crystal Gems." Debbie replied flatly.

Peridot visibly stiffened as Debbie moved closer, "You're not fooling anyone. You're a bad gem. Trying to destroy Earth I'm guessing."

"Then why are you helping me?" Peridot harshly demanded.

Debbie shrugged, "I could ask the same as to why you still follow a code of honor when your debt is to a human."

With that, Debbie turned and began riffling through the cabinets, leaving Peridot to silently watch her from the doorway.


	2. P E R I D O T

Debbie eyed the green glow of Peridot's "Sci-fi future" screen as it gave the dark living room an eerie glow. The letters or possibly numbers that rapidly scrolled along the screen were completely alien and undecipherable to the human woman.

Shrugging indifferently Debbie merely turned back to the novel she read, skimming along the familiar letters.

"What did you hope to accomplish by watching me work?" Peridot questioned out of the blue and Debbie looked up to find the alien giving her a suspicious look.

"I was curious," she replied honestly, "I've never seen the language and I can only speculate what those things are." Debbie studied them for a moment, "Though, since the characters aren't constantly repeating themselves I'd safely assume those are letters and not numbers."

Debbie watched as surprise etched into the green alien's features. Peridot turned away for a moment.

"It wouldn't matter to you. You're not a gem." Peridot muttered quietly.

Shrugged indifferently Debbie went back to reading her book while Peridot resumed her data cataloging. Only moments later did something occur to Debbie.

"Peridot?"

"What?" She grunted.

"Can you understand English?" Debbie asked.

Peridot replied with a flat look, "I can understand you...barely." She replied with a crinkled nose.

"I meant read. Can you read words in English." You growled back at her.

A faint tinge of green bloomed on Peridot's cheeks in what Debbie could only assume was a blush. She quickly turned away and looked back towards the screen, "No, I only speak it. I never learned how to write it."

"Oh...here." Debbie got up and padded into the kitchen.

Peridot raised a brow and soon padded after the woman. Debbie was hunched over a pad of paper and scrawled something on it.

P. E. R. I. D. O. T.

"What is it?" Peridot asked with another skeptical crinkle of her nose.

"It's your name."


	3. Bad Calibrations

It was a relatively peaceful morning for Debbie. Her morning mug of coffee with coconut milk, sugar, and honey was gripped in one hand while the other held a soft steakhouse-grade bread roll.

A gentle fog still ghosted the large expanse of old farm fields that were no longer in use. It was too close to an old gem battlefield that the land was no longer fertile. Not to mention the numerous chipped pieces of armor and weaponry strewn about the place half buried and ready to prevent any barefoot strolls she'd like to take.

Just as Debbie raised the mug to her lips a deafening explosion emanated from the nearby barn and rocked her home to its foundation. Debbie only scowled momentarily as she noted the broken mug and spilled coffee that stained her clothes and porch before rushing towards the slightly crispy barn.

The red-haired woman skidded to a halt to throw the doors open and found Peridot face-down on the ground while her numerous flask-robonoids frantically scurried about to put out fires and check on their creator.

Debbie haphazardly kicked and nudged them out of her path as she made her way towards Peridot. The green alien groaned as Debbie lifted her to her feet and held her steady.

"Slight...mis-calibrations." She panted, "Need to...correct for future use." She stumbled but Debbie held her tight.

"Yeah, yeah. I hear ya. How about you try that once you can stand again?" Debbie chuckled quietly and pulled the gem back towards the house.

Seeing their master was now out of danger, the flask-robonoids set about repairing the barn.


End file.
